Exercise is important for all people to live a fulfilled and healthy life. For a person with a disability, it is still just as important for them to be getting exercise and moving their body every day. Did you know that more than one-quarter of Australians with a disability actively play sport or exercise?
Exercise can:
- Improve stamina and muscle strength with helps them to build confidence
- Exercise can control joint swelling which can alleviate pain that can come with some disabilities
- Exercise helps to control weight gain
- It releases endorphins into the brain which triggers a ‘feel good’ feeling. This can help to deal with feelings of depression or anxiety.
- Regular exercise can help to improve the immune system
- It also can lead to increased socialisation if they choose exercise that is in a group setting
As we spoke about above, in the area of health and fitness there is so much advice and information out there that it can be overwhelming to know where to start. We have come up with some tips that can help get you or someone you know with a disability started with increasing their exercise.
Tips to get started:
- Tell family and friends that you are starting to exercise so that they can cheer you. Support is so important in starting to exercise.
- Get creative! Try different sports and activities to find out what you really enjoy doing. Exercise is best when you are doing something that you really enjoy.
- Finally, set goals! Setting goals helps you to see where you want to get and then feel good as you achieve your goals. Make sure you make your goals achievable and realistic so that you can reach them within short time frames. Then you can continue to increase your goals as you achieve them.
My Active Choice (MAC) offers lots of activities that help in improving your fitness levels. Joining the program may be a great place to start.
My Active Choice (MAC) is a fresh, innovative approach to providing high quality, fun activities for participants with disabilities. It is a great community for you to make friends and try different active activities.
To find out more about the MAC program, click below.
